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Subject: [worldcruising] Re: Tasman Crossing - First Failed Attempt.
philip_du_plessis@XXX.XXX
Date: Fri Jul 06 2001 - 11:20:49 EDT
Nice story Tony....
--- In worldcruising@XXX.XXX> wrote:
> First Failed Attempt.
>
> by Tony Powell - Vert Galant
>
> To the minute, I said my farewells and headed out into the channel
towards
> New Zealand across the Tasman. A phone call one minute later saw me
> returning to give my car keys to my brother, then off again. The
autopilot
> was engaged on entering the main shipping channel and remained the
main
> steering agent until my return to the same spot. I left in a
weather high,
> and returned three days later in the same high.
> Lesson 1- don't pick a date to leave, leave on the tail of
a low.
> I motored all the way through Westernport and out beyond seal
rocks. Three
> hours of motoring. With 160 litres of diesel aboard at 2.5 litres
per hour,
> it doesn't sound like much, but when you look at it, 1 hr per day
allocated
> to fridge/battery replenishing; there's 60 litres spoken for. Maybe
I was
> paranoid, (I was) but I chose to sail at a speed of around 3knots.
This got
> me approx. 10nm off Cape Woolamai
> Night came, the wind decreased further, and the autopilot was as
active as
> ever. Conserve, I thought, so I hove too with a close-hauled triple
reefed
> mainsail and a wheel lashed to windward. I slept hourly, getting up
at
> first, do a visual check, then check drift on the GPS. This is the
first
> time I have hove too with a purpose, and it really works. By dawn,
I had
> barely moved from my original position.
> All along, I was hoping to depend upon my JRC 1000 Radar that was
set with a
> guard of 5Nm. Since I purchased this device a year ago, I have
fought to
> have confidence in this device. Sure, I have become familiar with
the unit
> and tested it to do the job but I would like it to give me a bit
more
> feedback e.g. A message saying,"I am faulty, please get me fixed."
> Another day of light winds and another day of conserving. The next
night saw
> me off Cape Liptrap and again I successfully hove too. At one time
> though,through this still night, I saw a container ship heading for
Rhodondo
> island, it was miles away, but I could still hear its motor.
> The next day, I used the charging time for the fridge/batteries to
get past
> Rhodondo, but the wind was so light and the island was too close,
so I chose
> to motor further off. Well... This is where it all turned around.
The steel
> horse that I had worked on for the weeks leading to the event went
lame.
> The motor refused to start. Like a bolt of lightning, the horror
struck me.
> The wind and current were enticing me to the rocks of Rhodondo. I
set the
> sails for a broad reach, and even took over from the autopilot to
overcome
> the dilemma.
> I couldn't believe that, with all my masterful sailing, I was only
doing 1.5
> knots. I persevered, but felt that I was getting nowhere. Steering
was
> sluggish and there were unfamiliar eddies off the weather side.
Yes, it was
> a ton and a half of kelp. Just start the motor and back off... I
pushed it
> off with a stick and sailed on. Later that day, when I was about to
give up
> on the motor, the fool thing started. Right, I said, the hammer
stays down
> until I get home.
> Home.. Yes, I was homesick and yes, there were too many options in
this
> indecisive period. However, I'm glad that I turned for home. The
feeling was
> wrong the weather was wrong, and the hardware was failing. And that
Radar.
> the night before, it sounded like a mutton-bird had nested in the
unit on
> the mast and on testing it around Rhodondo, it didn't even pick it
up.
> So, it was homeward bound. I felt great. Home to my wife, home to my
> fantastic child, home to a life that I took for granted. I knew
that if I
> stopped the motor, it would not start again, so it was a run for
home with
> an energy that I knew would last as long as it took.
> As dusk arrived, I was alert and fired for any drama (to repeat: my
worst
> fear was that the motor would stop and it would not start again).
The high
> was persistent, and the sunset was a beautiful Bass Strait sunset.
In one of
> my watches, I saw a large ship heading in my direction. They say
that they
> can get to you in 20 minutes from the horizon. Well, I watched and
sure
> enough, we were on a collision course. I first saw them change
course to
> show that they knew I was there. I exaggerated a change of course in
> response to which they proceeded across my course. This was a grand
site, to
> see a mighty container ship at close quarters, silouetted by an
orange hue.
> If only this was on video...., whoops, too late,..again.
> Two more ships were seen, and I got naps when I could between Cape
Liptrap
> and Seal rocks. It was getting colder and colder, but I was getting
closer
> and closer. It was so cold on the last leg down the Westernport
channel that
> I stuffed a hot water bottle down my bib and brace and wore ski
goggles so
> that I could keep my eyes open. I was honked by a ship in the
channel behind
> me, so I sidestepped from the main channel, so did the honking
ship. There
> was another ship seaward bound from BHP steaming straight down the
channel.
> It was foggy and I was on ch 16, but this is just the way things
went.
> Foggy patches and unlit cardinal markers in the channel, there was
nothing
> going to stop me from my return. I had phoned my bro to meet me at
the pen
> and I had arrived and backed in, shut down, and unpacked before he
arrived.
> I had better come up with a second lesson for this
event.
> Frank Hart, the only Hastings member to do the Tasman crossing, was
at the
> club at 6am on July 4, 2001.I told him of my failed attempt, and he
said,
> "You made the right decision Tony, .. Go home and have a hot shower
and a
> healthy serving of bacon and eggs."
> I did exactly that.
> Lesson 2- don't cut corners with engine maintenance, do it right
the first
> time. ...That evening, I tried to start the motor and it spluttered
and
> refused to look like starting.
> Many lessons have been learnt at this first attempt, and I believe
that I
> was lucky to return unscathed. Especially with the weather reports
I have
> noticed since sitting back in my lounge room chair, a container ship
> floundering in 5M swells at North cape of New Zealand. And
record swells
> hitting the shores of the Gold Coast, Queensland.
> Lessons
> 1 Leave after low
> 2 pristine motor
> 3 HF radio with auto tuner (all frequencies)
> 4 Morall was low as a solo sailor, get a second person.
> 5 Make sure radar is functional with a guard function.
>
> Previous advice;
> Wear a dingy bouyancy vest as a guard against broken ribs. (forget
the
> bouyancy factor, if you are out there floating, spend your last hr.
> praying.)
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